I realize that text messaging hasn't taken off in America like it has in Europe and Asia, but I still text message some. I wish that it would take off more, because often I find a quick text message more convenient. Say you are at a bar and you want your friend to come, you just need to send a quick message instead of finding a quiet spot. The downside to text messaging is that when I do message it usually takes me three times as long. The new record holder can sure click those buttons...
The Singaporean media reported yesterday that Kimberly Yeo, 23, clocked 43.24 seconds in the final of a competition organised by the city-state's main telephone company, SingTel.
Wow. In comparison, it takes me 43 seconds to get the cell phone out of my pocket.
All attempts to become the world's fastest texter have to use the following two sentences: "The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human."
This would take me over 45 minutes to write in a text message. Even after it was written the "Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus" would actually appear like: serrasalmus and pygocentrus, because I don't know how to make capital letters.
In all seriousness, if these people can text this quickly, I am sure that I could learn to write text messages a little quicker. I think that overall they are a much more useful way of using your cell phone when you just have a little to say. Furthermore, it is less of a distraction to people around you if you're typing into your phone instead of talking. In Ireland they also had numbers you could message to get things like the bus schedule sent to your cell.
I wish more people in America sent text messages. I know that the reason they don't is because we get free nights and weekends and however many anytime minutes on most accounts. I think that in Ireland it was all sort of pay by the usage, so it was much cheaper for people to send text messages.
I see a growing push for text messaging though with AOL and Yahoo! being available to use on cell phones. I'm sure, if nothing else, a little healthy competition will make Americans want to prove they are the fast texters in the world.
